Who's Fault Is It Anyway?
by Wicked R
Summary: Phoebe doesn’t want to help Cole commit suicide at the end of the Sam I Am set up, but Paige has nothing against. Until…CPaige friendliness, sorta.
1. Default Chapter

Title: Who's Whitewash Is It Anyway?

Author: Wicked R

Disclaimers: characters and the universe belong to the WB. Doesn't matter, I'd only want Cole to be mine anyway.

Rating: R.

Genre: Angst/Romance.

Set: season 5, after "Sam I am."

Summary/Pairing: Phoebe doesn't want to help Cole commit suicide, but Paige has nothing against. Until…C/Paige friendliness, sorta.

"Where is Paige?" Piper was slightly irritated as her younger sister was supposed to help her with getting their potion supply up to date that night.

"Haven't seen her," Phoebe looked up from the papers she was reading, "in fact I haven't seen her today at all. Isn't that weird?" She stood up, "but I could help you with the potions if you want," she offered.

"No, it's not that. It's no major emergency. It's just that since her quest of becoming the super witch of all, well, I have to worry where she spends all that time at."

"She usually lets me know of developments. I can assure you, she achieved quite a lot lately," Leo tried to be supportive of her youngest charge, but also characteristically vague to try to protect her, "however," he scrunched his forehead, "I must admit, I haven't seen her much either in the last couple of days.

"Well, it's almost ten o'clock and neither of us had seen her since this afternoon. Don't you think it's time you checked up on her?" Piper asked him.

"She's not in trouble. I would've felt that."

"All the same," Piper gestured lifting her hand in the air, indicating her husband that her request was more like an order.

Leo shut his eyes, calmly concentrating on the life essences of his charges, "he is at Cole's," he concluded with a certain reservation in his voice when he opened his eyes.

"And she's not in trouble?" Phoebe tilted her head.

"Maybe we should go see," Piper suggested.

"Maybe we should give her the benefit of the doubt and wait until she comes home…" Leo tried.

"You can orb us or we can go by car," Phoebe established. Leo could be of much use when it was about gathering information or working on their confidence, but decisions were made by the witches themselves, that was always clear.

The white lighter, having his own doubts about Paige's latest blunders, sighed and took the two sisters by the elbow.

They found Paige kneeling on the floor of Cole's living room, holding the ex demon's head in her lap. His eyes were closed, his face covered with sweat and was of shade of grey and he seemed to be shaking slightly. The whole room was a complete mess, but it wasn't just the remains of the blast from when they tried to vanquish him. The floor was covered with all sorts of powders, potions, herbs and shreds of paper.

"Paige" Phoebe exclaimed, "what's going on?"

"I tried to vanquish him again."

"What?" Both sisters jumped.

"I know, I know, you said you wanted to rid the world of him on our terms, but what's wrong with vanquishing a demon, just because he agrees with it? It would've given him the peace he wanted too, instead of doing the next freakish thing his nutty mind propels him to do."

"Well, that's very noble of you, but to me it sounds a bit like the nurses they label black angels. Besides, you can't do it, or can you?" Phoebe knelt down next to her ex as well to see how exactly he was doing.

"Obviously not…" Paige complained, "you see I didn't even approach him. He was the one that came to me and asked me if we still had the potions we tried to vanquish him with because he thought they might work from the inside. If he drank them. So I got the potions. He drank them and nothing happened at first. He's only complained about being tired and sore all over. Then he started convulsing," Paige brought her sisters up to date, "so I thought the potions worked after all. That was two days ago. I kept orbing back to see if it was really true, but he comes and goes. He's sometimes better, sometimes worse. Then I made various potions to try to reinforce the effects of the first one, but when I saw they didn't work, I started to give him potions to try to make him better…"

"You messed this up pretty well, Paige," her older sister was getting angry at her again.

"I know," she agreed, "but I still cannot help feeling sorry for him…I'm sorry, there must be about six or seven different potions in his system by now…"

"Can you hear me?" Phoebe touched his cheek, but didn't get an answer. He was still shaking.

"Let me look at him," Leo walked over to them, opened his eyelids and peered under them, "he's not dying, but he is quite ill," he established.

"Thank you, we already know that, Leo," Piper started, "we need to decide what we are going to do. Vanquish, not vanquish? Help? Not help? Then we need to make the appropriate potion. The right way, this time," she emphasised, looking at her half sister.

"I'm sorry…" Cole blabbered, without regaining consciousness.

'"I'm going to stay here," Paige told them, "I think I had all my say in the subject," she avoided her sisters.

Nobody was going to argue with her. Paige had only been a witch for over a year and she sometimes acted too condescendingly in front of her sisters.

It took about two hours until Leo appeared again with a needle holding a dark liquid, "we still aren't able to produce anything that will surely kill him. That was a major point influencing the decision about what we came up with," he slowly lifted Cole's arm and gently pressed the whole contents of the vial into a vein in his arm, "that should be enough," he said quietly, in a voice that made Paige imagine how Leo could've behaved when he used to be a doctor, "now you have to wait," he orbed out.

The expression on Cole's face told her that this was not going to be pleasant for either of them as his body started convulsing again, "just a little longer," Paige whispered into his ear. She once thought it would make her pleased to hear him howl with pain, but she couldn't help feeling sorry for him again.

Very slowly the hurting began to subside and Cole felt his body mend itself on the inside. His eyes flickered open, "Phoebe?" Cole looked at Paige, seeming horrified.

"I'm sorry, it's just me, Paige,"

"What's going on?" he demanded.

"Shush, you need to rest," Paige said, "just rest. I don't think what happened will happen again," she said, trying to comfort him, reassuring him that at least his physical torment will not repeat itself.

"I'm not dead," Cole concluded, "and I'm not going to die anytime soon you mean?"

"Sorry to disappoint you."

"Never mind…I never should've believed in her, I know that now," he was referring to Phoebe of course with a wounded look and a hint of pout on his lips.

Like a kicked puppy's eyes, Paige noticed. It was the look she could never resist, no matter who was wearing it. It appealed to her mothering instincts, doubled with her witch instincts. It was the feeling that made her become a social worker. She squeezed her eyes shut not to see it, but it was echoing in her mind's eye. How was it that she ended up feeling sorry, when he was the one who possessed all those demonic powers and used them in so many immoral ways? Damn that man with those criminally attractive eyes that needed help. How was she going to explain this to her sisters? She already had so much to explain. Convincing them that they had it all wrong about Cole was going to be a challenge.

"Why are you good to me?"

Yes, good question, Cole, "cause you deserve a break once in a while," she reached out and took his hand, "I'm going to make everything right," and to Cole's incredulous look, she added, "trust me."

The End.


	2. Hint

Chapter 2: Hint

"Trust you?" Cole sat up and buried his face in his palms, "why should I trust you? You never trusted me. Aren't you the one who's always been suspicious ever since you found out I was a demon? Even when I was human? Aren't you the one who'd tried to kill me several times?"

"I'm also the one who tried to take your powers away, and the one who made those potions for you that you wanted to try, then came back several times to see how you were doing. I'm the one who believed Phoebe became a mermaid because she still loved you."

Cole gave her a brief, skeptical look, then went back to rubbing his forehead, "how dignifying of you trying to put a demon out his misery. So how is it you're gonna make everything right, huh? More potions? Shoot me off into the sun in a rocket? Deep freeze me so I don't feel anything? I'll tell you, it will not work."

"I know that! I'm not gonna try to kill you anymore. Seems like I'm not a good enough witch for that. But I'm hoping I'm still a good enough person not to be able to watch your suffering while at ease myself. You got all this power inside of you that's doing all sorts of things to you, all right, you gotta learn to live with it. Look at it as a disability, part of your temperament, whatever. You could say I didn't learn many things from my fosterparents, but in hindsight, I learned quite a lot. I learned that it is you that decides what to do with your life, not some random event that made you an apparent orphan, or the way you look. But it's hard to do it alone, and we left you alone. Therefore I'll be here from now on," she sat down next to him on the couch.

"Don't be ridiculous. You wanna live here? So I don't do anything stupid? Are you actually aware of the fact that I could kill you right here, right now, without having to move as much as a pinkie?"

"You haven't so far," she shrugged, "not even when to any observer you appeared to have completely lost it."

"You're the bold one, aren't you?" Cole growled and stood up. He couldn't sit when he was arguing, there was too much energy flowing in his veins. "One of the Charmed Ones is moving in with the most powerful demon there is. It's not news, it won't be the first time, and yet you can't imagine Phoebe's overreaction to it! As if..."

"I don't know? You think? After the lecture she gave me when I happened to pop home for some fresh clothes earlier while you were out cold? You know what? They can shove it! They've done exactly the same thing with me as they did with you. This high breed of witches I never knew it existed before, coming from their high horses, expecting me to just assimilate everything at the drop of a hat. And then when I think I have all this power, knowing how to cast spells, make potions, orb all the gold from Fort Know, they expect me not rob the back and to give it to needy children and be exactly how they are! I might be a Charmed One, but I want to make my mistakes alone, without those accusing eyes on me, as if I'd accidentally have the tendency to bring about the world's end! They are not helping! This not the kinda support I'm looking for, accusations and being looked down upon! Well, I'm staying here!"

Cole watched her with his eyes wide open, having stopped pacing. He was now staring at her, "are you finished?"

"No!" Snapped Paige and orbed into the decorative piano in the corner of the living room and disintegrated it from the inside with her orbs. "Now I'm finished," she sauntered out with a smile on her face, "I always wanted to do that. I hope you didn't need that?"

Cole squinted, then raised one hand a few inches tiredly and half heartedly in the direction of the remains of the piano and in one instant it was back again how it was. "That was the one my mother used to play on. But feel free to blow up anything else while I sleep. We'll work on your vanquishing potions together, later," he took off towards his bedroom.

"Sleep? But you're just up!"

"You made me need some more sleep with all that concoction, don't you think? Where are you going?" He stopped and faced her in the bedroom door.

"According to my new rules I can't let you out my sight in case you vanish off somewhere."

Cole gave her a quirky, little surprised smile, "you gonna watch me sleep?"

"What else is new?" Paige threw her hands in the air and looked him in the eye till his expression softened and he turned out her way.

Tbc


	3. Intermixture

Chapter 3: Intermixture

Leo wasn't sure how to break the news to the two oldest sisters, so he just pottered about with his back to them, concentrating on toasting his waffles.

Phoebe, more like staring, than looking at the potions book she's been studying for the last few weeks trying to find a way to vanquish Cole, slowly looked up, "Paige was right." She said thoughtfully.

"She was?" Leo turned, finding some hope in her voice, maybe she didn't have to defend his youngest charge as fiercely as he thought he had to before.

"Yes," Phoebe determined, sounding very convinced. "We were focused on vanquishing Cole and as we all know, there are no identified ways of doing so. Paige on the other hand, centered her efforts on trying to harm Cole, instead of a vanquish, hoping that would make him vulnerable enough for it. I think that's what we have to do."

"I thought we agreed on the fact he is very dangerous and that we don't go near him unless we can be sure that the vanquish will be successful," Piper leaned on the table with both hands.

"But that's impossible, isn't it?" Phoebe stressed herself, "yet we can't be sure he doesn't kill anybody, doesn't take over the underworld, target any family member we have. We need him out of the action, but we can't vanquish him. So what does that mean?"

"That we're stuffed?" Piper tried.

"No."

"That you try and talk some sense into him?"

"No way! How? It means that we do a potion similar to Paige's ones to get him out of circulation! You know, keep him unconscious, like in a coma, till we figure something out."

"What an idea!" Piper slapped the table, "that's what we're going to do!" She dumped the remains of some potion in the sink and set off to clean the pot that had contained that.

Leo raised his eyebrows, looking from one to another, "I dunno how much you looked at Cole while he was unconscious, really looked at him, but I know for sure he didn't look comfortable."

"Comfortable?" Piper echoed, "did he consider you being comfortable when he shot you with poisoned arrows? Don't think so. Did he think about Paige being comfortable?"

"Paige thinks differently about that incident I think," he winced. He usually tried to evade situations where he had to argue with his pregnant wife, but Paige had put him into a position where he didn't have a choice.

"What do you mean Paige thinks differently?" Phoebe retorted in a manner that let on she didn't think her half sister had any right to so so.

"She believes staying with Cole'd be a way of monitoring and stopping him do anything evil."

"I guess you can't change her mind about it? She can be stubborn," Piper shook her head.

"All the more reasons to get ready with the potion as soon as possible," Phoebe established, almost panicky. How much did she want to finish with the Cole episode in her life and start again! The sole thought she had remained that she would've wanted just delete the whole thing out of her mind, no matter what, as if it had never happened. Vanquishes were never pleasant for the demon anyway, the fact that she was making a potion to make somebody suffer never occurred to her.

Leo was chewing his lip. There seemed to be something wrong with the morale of this thing, although maybe the Elders wouldn't object either. Perhaps he could talk to Piper about it in private later, but what were they gonna do about Phoebe?

Tbc


	4. Ratio

Chapter 4: Ratio

Cole had fallen asleep quickly, still with that little incredulous, mocking smile on his face. Paige watching over him, that'd be right. She was more likely trying some new form of vanquishing on him while he was asleep that she had never thought about before, but why, she didn't need to hide it from him, he had no intentions of going on living without Phoebe, without anyone recognizing his efforts of controlling all those powers. After he had given up everything on one side, his efforts had to be acknowledged, otherwise he had no way of belonging either to the evil, nor the good.

The amusement coming in the form of Paige's behavior lulled him into a peaceful sleep, but it only lasted for a few minutes. Soon, his eyelids came to flutter as he dreamed and Paige got startled out by her own thoughts, sitting in the corner, by his flailing arms and legs as he turned around in his sleep. And then there he was, one hand hanging lifelessly off the bed, head half dropped off the pillow, breathing coming in some quiet moans through his slightly parted lips so that it was hard to determine if they were the result of suffering or perchance erotic dreams. His shirt was also scrunched up and most of one side of his muscular stomach became visible, his breathing bringing it up and down, yet irregularly. He tossed one leg wide to the side and from that angle, something rather round and bulgy came into the middle of her vision. It wasn't completely light anymore, but the dimness and the shadows only accentuated the shape.

I shouldn't be marveling at those...fine assets, Paige flinched. He couldn't deny that it never escaped her how handsome Phoebe's boyfriend was, she remembered very well how it was to touch those bunching muscles of his chest, down in the basement when she switched bodies with her sister, savor those honey lips that conveyed half of his energy emanating from him at all times, even when he'd just fought off a dozen demons all by himself. That trademark energy that somehow now in his sleep, seemed to have been missing. He looked simply innocent and vulnerable, and most remarkably delectable, the changing lights had taken nothing away from that. If anything, the moon seemed to have made his skin shine so that it accentuated that mysticism that always came with the concept of Cole Turner.

She was again shaken out from her dream by his intensified movements. It was warm, but Paige was quite sure it wasn't that making Cole's body covered with a thin layer of sweat. His fists were clenching and as his hands moved in her direction. Paige ducked out the way and squatted down by the bed, not questioning for one moment that the most powerful demon there was, lying there on the bed, would be capable of magic even in his sleep. She didn't trust Cole's nightmares. Maybe he wouldn't hurt her deliberately, but who knew what he could do in his sleep with some random, unintentional hand gestures?

She was ducking down for a while, but since nothing seemed to have been blown up, she chanced a peek at him, this time, from closer, right from next to the edge of the bed, where she ended up crawling to.

Cole's head was moving a little from side to side. Paige paused, horrified by the his facial expression that spoke of torment, but she still jumped when Cole cried out.

"No, Phoebe!...Please, help me..." He looked outright scared. The rest were some mutterings that the young witch couldn't make out, but from the tone of his voice, none of it sounded like a pleasant little dream.

Paige became more and more concerned, and it wasn't about what evil magic he could unleash on the world in his sleep. She carefully eased herself on the bed sitting next to him, wondering what she should do. Waking him up could've been dangerous at this stage, besides, he obviously needed the sleep after her fiasco with the potions. Instead, driven by instinct, she reached out a hand and enclosed it around his fingers before any conscious thought could lead to a decision. If she was honest with herself she could admit that it had nothing to do with stopping him conjuring up fire balls. She rubbed her fingers against his, her expression telling of her plead for it to work in calming him. What she was feeling under her fingertips surprised her. That hand, delivering death by energy and fire balls, how could it feel like some delicate velvet?

Satisfied by the results of her own warm and reassuring gesture on his trashing head she curiously started to reach toward his face. She drew her fingers over his short hair, a little as if she was patting a dog.

He took a deep breath and leaned into her touch, making her freeze in realization as to how close she was to an uncomfortable situation. What if he opened his eyes right now with her fingers trapped under his chin? Should she move and risk waking him?

So she just watched him sleep peacefully for a few moments, but she didn't have to wait long to free her hand. Cole jerked sharply, swinging himself to the other side, then his body started trembling and the moans came back.

"This could go on like this the whole night!" Paige grunted, realizing how heavy her own eyelids were. These last few days were very taxing. How could she stay close to him to keep calming him and sleep at the same time? There was one easy answer to that.

She climbed up the bed next to him and almost too groggy to keep herself upright, she leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She was well and truly in deep sleep by the time he shifted his hand to her back and pulled her close to himself, all his nightmares held at standstill by the little while orbs inside her essence. Something inherently good he'd always felt the pull of, something he unconsciously wasn't willing to let go.

Tbc


	5. Humanities

Chapter 5: Humanities

Leo was akin to a statue as he stood by the end of Cole's bed, potion in hand and its explosive power completely forgotten due to the sight before him in the morning sun. Legs entangled, hand on his chest, licking her lips in her sleep, Paige was lying with Cole, her mouth not even half an inch distance from the demon's. Nah, too embarrassing, he's just gonna orb off somewhere, not home, so he doesn't have to tell the older sisters what he's seen, and come back later when those two are up. He was in the middle of his orb, when a hand held him back.

Paige, woken up by his whitelighter's chinking orbs, had orbed next to him herself. Rather weary of how the sisters could've reacted to her pledge to watch Cole, she wasn't ready to look Piper's husband in the eyes. The fact that the way Leo seen her with Cole could've been considered compromising, didn't occur to her, she was too apprehensive about her standing in the family after her decision. "What's the verdict? They can make my life hard, but they need me for the power of three," she encouraged herself, although she was worried about their powers as one herself, having heard of the power outage that occurs if the sisters fight with each other too much.

"They kinda forgot about the issue whatsoever," Leo winced, "busy making with this," she shoved the greenish, steaming liquid that he held in an open vial in front of her.

"Don't tell me they came up with the vanquishing potion!" She whispered horrified, then scolded herself for it. They wanted Cole gone and Cole wanted to be gone, right? Than what's with the butterflies in her stomach?

Leo shook his head slowly, "what's with him?" He nodded in the demon's direction, who barely stirred at the sound of their voices.

Paige shrugged, "uneasy night. And still too many potions in his system I think. I must've been closer to the right formula than I originally thought." She couldn't take her eyes off the little container Leo was holding. Not a vanquishing potion. Then what was it?

The whitelighter however, didn't give it to her. He set it down on the bedside table and pulled her outside the door into the living room. "Paige, you've always been trying how to be a good witch and doing what's good by you. I can't tell you to give him that potion and I won't." Fazed at first, at this point in time he had no doubts in his mind about how Paige ended up sleeping next to Cole. "It's there for you to decide what you wanna do with it. It's meant to keep Cole pretty much unconscious for another undetermined, but long time. I dunno how they figure that, ask Piper!"

"You don't agree with them," Paige deduced.

"This Cole story, it just goes on and on, way too long. It has clouded Phoebe's judgment and Piper's going along to keep her happy I think. Since they were busy cooking all night, I had not had the chance to talk to her about it, but I believe that I know my wife well enough to figure that she will at least be liable to change her mind. And till then, I don't care if you hold off giving Cole the potion. Is he even likely to take it?"

Paige humphed, "you have no idea. That state he's in..there's no anger. How can he not be angry? Everyone's angry if they get turned down so many times, no matter what. Yet there's nothing in those eyes other than dejection. It feels like he's past misery. He's trying not to feel it, be numb, but he can't do that completely either."

Leo put a hand on her shoulders and leaned in, "the psychoanalysis of a demon?" He squinted a bit sceptically.

Paige smiled, reflecting on her own strengths and weaknesses, "side effect of being a social worker."

Leo nodded, "I'll get to Piper."

"Would be nice if you didn't get sidetracked," Paige reminded him before he chimed out the room.

Tbc


	6. Heterogeneity

Chapter 6: Heterogeneity

Paige stomped a foot and cursed herself when she saw the empty bed. There was a good reason why she'd decided to sleep next to him, once he'd shimmer away she could keep no track of him and could openly admit failure in front of his sisters. However, she could see that the balcony door was open and all she had to do was follow the sound of loud cursing. Because she couldn't orb outside in case somebody saw it, Paige leaped, hoping Cole didn't have a too sinister of a reason to swear. She almost swore herself by the balcony doorway, it wasn't exactly a sight that would've went down very well with bystanders, she just had to hope nobody was looking up.

Cole was leisurely sitting on the edge of the railing on the twentyfifth floor of the building, turning a bottle of whisky upside down and showing her he had nothing else left to drink, thus the particular unhappiness to the moment. "What says my guardian angel? Can I shimmer down to the store for some more, or you volunteer?" He asked with a demeanor that let her know of the reason why the bottle was empty, when it was half full the day before when she happened to glance out to the balcony.

"How about a no? I think drinking makes you even more depressed."

Cole jumped back down, ready to shimmer. He certainly did need no permission from a whilelighter/witch hybrid to drown his sorrows in alcohol, no matter what time of the day it was. Not as if he was able to get indigestion or anything and even if he would've been. He could see the blur of his own shimmering and wanted to give Paige a last provoking look before he pissed off getting pissed some place where nobody would bother him, like inside some automated space station circling the Earth.

It wasn't her "wait please," but the look in her eyes that stopped him. It wasn't Phoebe's denial, it wasn't Piper's high horse, Prue's questions, or even Paige's previous suspicion. Did he read it right? Were her eyes desperate, pleading and sad? Was her glance softly caressing his face, sorry for him then anything else?

He couldn't believe it, but if there was some chance of a witch, a random human being holding out her hand for him, providing some sort of comfort in his pointless life, could he deny himself that luxury? He'd been aching for something like this all his life beyond belief and that caring look was the very incorporation of what he'd been wanting, seeking for so long. If she will give it to him, if only for a moment, his needy soul could find some rest for a while. He did shimmer, but only down into a sitting position by the wall, where he slumped down, his forehead in his palm. He closed his vision to the world, if he was wrong about her caring for him, he didn't want to see it.

Paige slowly walked close to him, knelt down and gently moved his hand out from the way of her seeing his face. "I'm here to help, remember? I hope you let me. I promise you can trust me." She nodded, trying to convey as much convincing power in her voice as she possibly could.

"What makes you think you can? My heritage is being a demon and nothing can change that. Such a half creant, I should've never been born, it was obvious I could never be happy or belong anywhere."

Paige shook her head, "all you have to do is convince me you are in control of your powers and not them over you and I'll convince the others. I can't promise anything about Phoebe and her inability for self reflection, but at least she won't be hell bent on vanquishing you."

"That good?" Cole repressed a humph.

"Apart from the confusion it causes when she's concentrated on only one thing? Yes, it is," she leaned close to him, putting a hand on one of his knees.

Cole looked up and found that their faces were close, just as close as in the middle of the night when he woke up with her practically lying on the top of him. Her shapely mouth in his direct vision, he wanted to kiss her so much at this moment in time. He was well aware of where the feeling came from, he'd always had a tendency to equate comfort with love. Right now though the knowledge of that didn't matter. Even if he knew that it wasn't right, even if it'd backfire, he simply couldn't deny himself the momentary illusion that he was being given the love he'd been deprived of for so long. More like a spectator in his own body, he felt himself tilt his head so that their lips could touch, driven by a need beyond anything cognizant, then more consciously brushed his lips along hers quickly, awaiting the kiss to be ended by her, a slap to his face, or more so being temporarily blown to pieces by her orbing into him in anger, just as she did with the piano the day before. Instead, her hand came up and round his shoulders and her lips parted, allowing him entrance. For a few seconds, there were no disturbing feelings, no thoughts, all desires fulfilled by a moment of ignorant bliss.

Paige virtually stopped breathing at the sensation of the little bumps on his tongue tingling her lips. Her mind was sending her warning signals this was way past obliging, way past the comfort that was her intention. But he needed this too, didn't he? There was one place he was injured several times and unless those wounds healed in his soul, her plan of brining him back to a state of normalcy was doomed. She let her body relax, curve to him and allowed herself to enjoy the feeling of his strong hands pressing her to him.

It was Cole, who finally pulled back, head down, not daring to look at her again directly. Nothing was said, Paige was staring more into herself than anywhere else, trying to figure out what was her part in what just happened and how she felt about it.

After a while of uncertainly, Cole risked a glance, peering out from under his eyebrows like a child who knew he'd done something wrong and punishment was expected. As judgment wasn't passed yet, he just had to wait and see.

Tbc


	7. Thread

Chapter 7: Thread

Paige felt insecure. She couldn't just tell him forget about it, that was a mistake, that would've outdone the good she did. Besides, it wouldn't be true. She didn't even know if she could trust herself or her own emotions right now and since when did Cole become a damsel in distress, who brought out her caring, motherly instincts? Was it when he looked devastated after being tricked by the siren? It was before she tried her first power stripping potion on him for sure, but when? Didn't she even want him back together with Phoebe for a moment after the ball with the Cinderella dress? Didn't they make Phoebe apologize to him? Eih, somewhere along the line she'd softened so much towards him, but she didn't even know. Then there's another puzzling question, what were his feelings for him exactly? It didn't matter though, she could not concentrate on her own cognitive state, there was somebody next to him, rather suicidal, if not, self destructive and totally lost, somebody who was apparently afraid of her reaction to the kiss. She gave herself a mental slap and squeezed his hand, "if you were given a new start, no talk of heritage, no given disadvantages known by anyone, what would you do?"

Cole looked up with a huge amount of confusion on his face, which slowly turned into shock. Did she just say something positive to him? Majorly positive? After him stealing a kiss? Did she like him and why? "I dunno what I'd do," he slurred, "it doesn't happen. It cannot happen. Once I thought I could start anew, I trusted somebody, I thought she'd recognize her own emotions with her being a psychologist herself. I believed she loved me, whoever or whatever I was, I thought I could be who she loved me to be. Trusting her was a mistake, cause nobody trusts me, no matter what I do. There's always that little suspicion in the back of their minds that spoils everything. I'm done running. It's all about trust," he emphasized quietly.

"Forget about everyone else Cole. I have given you a new start. And I will not regret it because I've seen how obsessively you try to be good. I don't even care if it's only for Phoebe's sake."

"I can't do it alone Paige. Not even close." He clutched his knees nervously.

"You won't be alone," she shook her head, "now once again, consider it, a new life, what do you think it could signify starting it?" Seeing he was still lost between comprehending she was there for him and that all didn't necessarily need be irrecoverable, she tried to give him a clue, pointing at the stubbles that scratched her delicate skin a little when they were kissing. "It's easier to start with the appearance you see," she smiled trying to lighten the mood.

"Oh, I didn't really notice how I looked," he responded to her smile with a lopsided, apologetic one. He looked down at himself and tugged at the sticky shirt, "perhaps you're right. A shower should help," he finally said with a little bit of vigor and purpose returning to his voice.

Paige knitted her eyebrows. Didn't this thing start because she didn't want to let him leave alone? Because she wanted to stay with him at all times, just in case his powers and his desperation got the better of him? Of course she never considered practicalities then, going to the washroom, changing her clothes, showers and so on!

From his expression, he was in middle of realizing the implications of her promise as well, "care to join me?" He asked impishly. Cause whatever the answer was, the whole situation was going to be funny.

Tbc


	8. Cleanse

Chapter 8: Cleanse

Paige was leaning onto the bathroom doorframe and was trying hard not to look directly at the shower curtains.

The screen was a slight green, but not enough to hide the toned contours of his body. Her eyes made their way to them over and over again for longer than the appropriate casual glimpse necessary to tell if he was still there and the sight urged her to step closer. Realizing what she was thinking about, she blinked, blushed and pressed her feet down the floor forcefully, as if that could've made her stay in place. She had to get herself together mentally too, otherwise she'd be orbing into the shower cubicle any second now, next to the man who's looks made her sigh in exasperation when he was Phoebe's boyfriend too, and not just because she didn't have any boyfriend at all at the time. To stop herself staring, she closed her eyes, but it didn't help all that much. The fact that she was seeing him in a different light these days had nothing to do with the lust that took over her when she was imagining the water snaking glistering paths down the smooth hills of his body...She will need a shower after this herself, a cold one! By the way, where was the steam, could Cole be using cold water for some reason?

Cole leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes, not noticing that he'd touched the tap with his side and turned it a little, making ice cold water spray on him as dense as a rain shower. Could've been scorching hot at the same rate, he couldn't be harmed by it, so he wouldn't have noticed, but at least this was the temperature that was more appropriate for his frozen soul. So many times he had his hopes up before, let himself be powered by his natural optimism, be blinded by a so called world of good, that turned out to be not so good after all. The hope that Paige implanted in him did flicker in the background, but couldn't prevail over his overpowering feelings of careworn apathy. He slowly slid down into the far corner of the shower. He was out the way of the cold water directly pouring on his head, but he remained frozen inside. With all this power he possessed, he didn't have control over anything that mattered.

Paige, in alert mode, considered her options. She'd noticed the lack of movement from Cole and the air getting colder, but how could she go and peek around a curtains as if she was at a peep show? She didn't have a choice though. Cole didn't respond to her calling, she had to make a fool out of herself. Cause Cole had either shimmered away a long time ago, or he'll be able to laugh at her for her concerns, or desire to take a look. She stopped wavering however the moment she got a glimpse at him from the side.

He was staring ahead with his face blank, his arms were wrapped around himself and Paige could not tell if he was shaking because of the cold or because he was crying or whether the droplets on his face came from the shower or were tears.

She didn't know how it was even possible, but he scared her with his appearance more than ever. This time though he wasn't afraid of him, but for him. There was no hesitation in her movements, thoughts coincided with actions as she leaped behind the curtains herself to turn the tap to a more pleasant setting and kneel down next to him, just like out on the balcony and wrap her arms around him, not minding her clothes getting wet in the process. "Do you hear me? Hello? Oh, you great useless thing, come on, let's heat you up." Her hands secure around his waist, she hauled him to his feet and helped him stand in the warming stream of water, completely forgetting even that there was no chance of hypothermia in his case, all she wanted was to make him more comfortable.

Cole leaned his head on hers, slowly reviving by the feel of a human body next to him so close. His hands came up around her, light as a feather at first, but holding her close more purposefully later. He rubbed his hands over her back, neck and her back side, running smoothly down the slick fabric of her dress. It felt good being allowed to hold someone, so he pressed even closer. Unconsciously, his hands found her bare skin, his cheek the side of her face, his thigh slid in between her legs.

Paige only held back for a moment, her mind trying to whirl around what the right thing in the situation was, but when his lips found hers all reason shattered to pieces and the reaction of the flesh prevailed, while quietly praying neither of them will come to their senses and stop. With no obstacles of any kind in the way, her hands replied to the caress with exploring themselves, her breath became deep and drawn out when his mouth moved to her earlobe, trailed down her neck and his tongue licked the warm water off her shoulders. She leaned her head back, making sure he understood the road was clear, then unzipped her dress.

He splayed his hands out fully on her sides for a moment, as if taking in, measuring up the view, then pulled her back in his arms, his body now nice and warm against hers, heating from the inside, radiating all over his body, starting at his groins. He was kissing her with so much liveliness that she lost equilibrium and had to support herself on the wall to steady herself.

"I only got sidetracked a little," Leo reported, orbing in, following his charge's, Paige's signature over town to where exactly he would find her.

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	9. Downfall

Chapter 9: Downfall

By the time Paige managed to understand that Cole had let go of her because Leo was standing right outside the open shower curtains, the demon had already wrapped a towel around his waist and pulled her dress forwards on her shoulders again to make them both look a bit more respectable. However, she didn't have to react quick, she was still faster to come to her senses than a certain male whitelighter, standing dumbstruck, with his mouth open.

Cole clutched her arm, "you and me. I'll take you somewhere he can't follow."

Paige gulped, knowing from the expression in his eyes it was a deciding moment, one where she had to attest to a side, him, or not him. She squeezed his hand, "just go out to the living room. I'll be there as soon as I clear this up with Leo." She would've wanted to have a chance to assess his reaction, whether he still had that little trust in her she managed to convince him to have, but he chose shimmering out instead of walking. She didn't want to leave him alone, but she couldn't leave as it was with Leo either.

"Did he put a spell on you?" Leo voiced the only explanation he could think of for the behavior of a normally feisty Paige when in came to matters related to Cole.

"It's not what you think!" Paige rushed out the shower cubicle with the pathetic answer, "this wasn't the plan, at least not initially," she surprised herself with the truth. What, is it the plan now? "Look, I know this is a bit further away from what we talked about, but it doesn't change anything. Did you convince Piper?" She threw the ball back.

Leo hardly noticeably shook his head, still frowning, puzzled. "Piper's got this nesting instinct of pregnant women going on just now. She wants every potential danger out the way before the baby's born."

"Leo, I watched him struggle against every reminder of evil even in his sleep," Paige tried with renewed efforts, "if you just listen to him, really listen to him, you'll know there's no danger."

"I'm sorry Paige. The decision is final, two against one."

"I'm not going to make him drink that potion!" Paige got interrupted by a loud thump coming from the bedroom.

Always on alert in case of a demon attack, they both orbed to where the noise came from to find that Cole was lying on the floor next to the empty vial of the very potion Paige was just talking about.

Tbc


	10. Distracted

Chapter 10: Distracted

Paige sat crestfallen in her room, still in rather damp clothing. Leo had thought it best not to tell the others in what position did he find the youngest charmed one in at Cole's and what exactly did happen. She was even praised by her sisters for giving the demon the potion, which, to Phoebe's delight, worked a lot better than they were expecting. Although his body was still seemingly lying on the bed where Paige and Leo lifted it, the locator crystal confirmed that his essence was nowhere to be found on earth. From his vitals and a general examination Leo concluded that he was in a coma and there probably wouldn't be much brain activity showing up if they would've had a chance to test that at a hospital. You still couldn't harm his body, but he was as good as dead, like he wanted to be. Or not? Paige remembered Cole's expression when she last glanced at him before orbing out. There was no movement, you could say maybe not even much muscle tone, yet he didn't seem peaceful, he was just as anguished as before. Yes, his essence wasn't on earth, but where was it? Demonic wasteland, that must it, not completely dead, but almost there! And because he wants to, he will move on, he'll let himself be eaten by those monsters Phoebe was talking about and that would be the end of Cole Turner once and forever!

Just like when jumping into the shower, there wasn't any conscious decision or even thought process attached to her actions, all she knew was that she had to run and repeat what Phoebe'd done to go talk to him in the wasteland before it was too late. She orbed up to the thankfully empty attic and set the crystals round, but she had to pause when getting to the spell in the book of shadows. The take me to my love spell. Would it work? What did she feel towards him? There was some pitying at first, then compassion, care, perhaps concern, would that add up as love when it came to magic? She shook her head, well, neither did Phoebe love Cole, for sure not anymore when she read the spell to get to him, she wanted rid of him, that's proof. Paige herself would probably feel more positively towards Cole at this moment in time than how Phoebe did when she went to the wasteland, so there was every chance the spell'd work for her. "Writher my love, wherever you be, through time and space, take my heart near to thee."

Paige freaked out right the next moment. It wasn't the loud scary noises of the astral plane of the wasteland, nor the fire, the dark skies or the jagged rocks behind which there was nothing more than he abyss, but finding Cole lying on the ground in the same unresponsive position as she left his body in the apartment as well.

"Cole!" She ran to him, but contrary to her expectations he quickly sat up with a surprised expression on his face, "what are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here on the ground!" Paige was just as confused, but for a different reason.

"Just waiting for the beast to devour me."

"But I came to take you back. What do I need to do?"

"Nothing, go home. You came to help me commit suicide, it's done," then he turned towards the direction beastly noises were coming from, "here I am, come and get me! Come on, hurry up, end it!"

The snake creature poked his head out the ground a mere few feet away and tilted it in their direction.

tbc


	11. Unhurried

Chapter 11: Unhurried

Cole shoved Paige behind him, "say the spell and go!"

"Not before I talk to you!" She pulled Cole with herself while she was climbing a rock behind her, the snakelike creature missing Cole's foot with a mere inch or less.

"We can't keep running from that thing forever!" Cole stopped Paige when he thought they were high enough for the beast not to reach the witch.

Paige nodded, she couldn't wait anymore. She needed to tell him what she wanted to tell him all along, "Cole, I came here using the take me to my love spell."

"What does that mean?" Cole asked baffled, although he did know what it meant, of course.

"It means...I don't know what it means..." Paige backtracked, afraid to have it spelled out in the open, it made her unsure of herself, mazed about everything that happened over the last year. If she would've said it loud that she loved him, it could've changed everything, not just between them, but it would've changed the definition of who or what she was supposed to be, "look, I want to help you. You came out of here before, how exactly did you?"

Cole gave her a cynical grin. Love spell, all right, but if he mentions anything to do with dark magic she'll be running miles, or in fact dimensions away, right away. "There's a spell in the Grimoire that could take me out of here. Last time I gathered enough powers to summon the book here."

"How do I find the Grimoire and how do I touch it?" Paige asked without hesitation.

"That's a...very good...question Paige," Cole stammered, more blown away by what Paige just said, than ever, "you don't touch it. Cause that's the only way of avoiding becoming evil when using a spell from it," Cole changed to speaking quickly, so that he can finish and spurt into action now that the realization of her words hit. He hugged her fiercely, overtaken by a feeling a joy he never thought he could ever experience again. As he held her, he felt that empty space in his heart that Phoebe left starting to tingle and something gently flown into it, something very pleasant, that just like Paige he wasn't ready to call love just yet. "But you don't need the Grimoir Paige. I mentioned it because I was sure you'd say no and leave me alone. I'm here only because I wanted to be here. I had no way of getting to the wasteland without the help of the potion of your sisters, but I can get out of here any time I please. I wasn't dead when I came here and therefore I kept my powers. I could summon the Grimoir from wherever it is, it doesn't matter, but I don't have to either. I simply remember the spell."

"What are you waiting for then?" Paige urged him, seeing how the snakelike beast has slithered higher on the rocks.

"I was waiting for you, I guess," Cole smiled at her, holding onto her even tighter, ready to teleport them both out.

Tbc


	12. Demo

Chapter 12: Demo

Cole opened his eyes on his own bed in his own apartment, feeling invigorated by the fact that he was still hugging Paige tight. "Now where were we before Leo interrupted?" He rolled over with her so that he could lean over her and enjoy that little grin she gave him in anticipation. Phoebe's been over the top about Cole's skill is bed, now she'll have the chance to experience it. But if he wasn't the prince of passion with her as well, then his heart still belonged to Phoebe, paradoxically, hell bent on killing him. Not that weird actually if you thought about their history, about Belthazor arriving to eliminate the Charmed Ones. On the wrong thought trail, she got uneasy. What if it really wasn't right ever trusting a demon? However, the nagging voice in her head got silenced quickly as she marveled at the nature of his touch. He was caressing her face, seemingly very focused on the activity, softly running his fingertips over every contour of the sides of her face, jaw, lips and nose, just like a blind person would do. It was as if he was drinking her in, seeing her, sensing her for the first time in a way that was worth remembering, worth imprinting in the pores of his body.

"How long are you intending to have this wet stuff on? You see even a suicide puts dry clothes on before he tries," Cole indicated his shirt, then tugged on her dress.

"Not long," Paige managed unevenly, nearly jumping out her panties all by herself when his hand moved under the fabric of her dress again and pulled the zip from the inside. He lifted her up to get rid of the unnecessary nuisance of their clothes and magically held her in the air till he could strip her roughly, completely and quickly, then thrown his own shirt off with an urgency that made the item sizzle and turn to ashes where it fell.

Neither of them saw it though, she slid her hands over his chest up to his shoulders to encircle him and pull him down on her.

He slowly complied, his mouth barely touched her when his tongue made love to her mouth, sliding in and out, only made faster by intensifying desire and her pull of his tongue towards herself, her mouth filled at the same time as she arched up to him and freed his erection urgently.

"Not yet," he hushed her quietly, teasingly, but he continued to stroke her breasts in slow circles, sensation making her unable to utter a word. She will be the slave of this passion now.

As his lips were parted from hers now, allowing him to speak, he moved them lower and to the valley between her breasts, all over her belly and his teeth gently pulled her bellybutton ring. He grinned up, then briefly came back to touch her lips with his, short and seductive, taking it away from her so that she'd want it more. His fingers were doing the same, teasingly barely grazing and stroking at the outside of her vagina till she was hissing and grabbing and bucking against him in an attempt to satisfy her need.

Cole, however, wasn't finished teasing. He slid higher so that it was his erection that was stimulating her belly, rubbing against it. Its tip slipped into her navel as much as the ring let it, then enjoyed an easy entrance into her slit, aided by her ample wetness. Yet his fingers still rubbed against her sensitive spot. He achieved that she was now feeling lost to this world, engulfed in the sensations he was offering, the velvet motion of him inside her.

"Tell me if this is what you want for sure," he asked her as if reason never left him during their foreplay. "Me."

It took Paige a little while to understand that unless there was an answer coming from her and preferably a positive one, Cole'd not continue. She wriggled under him at the lack of movement and willed her throat to form some intelligible sounds. "I want you, I need you now."

Cole shook her, "no, not now. Not without meaning."

"I'll stand by you. I promise, I keep my promises, you know." She was feeling dizzy. So much energy was building up in her, without release. She brought her legs around his bottocks and started to rock her hips. Maybe it was her turn to convince him. She ran a hand through his hair, seductively munched at his lips softly and with her other hand, she reached down close to where his hand was and touched the underside of his cock. She felt him throbbing hard inside her, she knew he wouldn't need much encouragement, but she didn't want this encounter to be a just some pointless display of animal instincts between a whitelighter witch and a demon. She wanted him to know she was making love, so therefore instead of playing with his balls as she intended a minute ago, she grabbed hold of his hand and squeezed it, letting the depths of her soul reflect in her eyes when she looked at him. The rest was lost in the need.

Tbc


	13. Epilogue

Epilogue

"Paige said something about you not being confident about what to do with babies," Piper stated on arrival to the penthouse where Leo orbed her in, then showed a wailing Wyatt into Cole's arms, "here, practice." Then she disappeared into the bedroom, where a heavily pregnant Paige was told to put her feet up.

"I may not have to be afraid of giving birth that much," said Paige as a form of welcome, immediately jumping to topic. "You know what happens in the demonic world? If one of the parents has the power of shimmering, the baby'll just shimmer out as well when the time comes! Isn't it great?"

"Oh, that's definitely a no hospital one then! But Paige, I still think we should talk you through what you might need to do in labor, just in case. You're not a demon you know! Things might work out differently for you two, nobody knows anything about how the mixture will even affect the kid's powers!"

"Hey! You're meant to be encouraging me right now, not come with worst case scenarios! By the way...did you talk to Phoebe?"

"Well, I'm not supposed to tell you, cause it was going to be a surprise, but she'll meet us at P3 tonight with some presents for you."

Paige squeezed her sister's hands in delight, she'd been asking about Phoebe almost every day, but this was the first time she got an outright positive answer about her accepting Cole around, and with Paige. "How did you manage to convince her?"

"Time did, I think. And the fact that she's been bored out her wits lately did help as well. When was the last time we used a power of three spell? Five months ago or so?"

"Technically five months ago, that was last year," Paige giggled, "to be honest, I'm getting bored too. With such a powerful demon as Cole protecting us, nobody comes close, let alone attack!"

"Well, I hope it lasts. I almost forgot what it's like to lead a normal life," Piper admitted, "we'll have enough trouble as it is, cause how can I tell my six months old son not to use his powers without binding them altogether? If your junior in there is even more powerful, for which there's every chance, we need all our energies focused on not exposing ourselves!"

"Oh, if that's the only problem on the horizon, I think I can cope with it," Paige rolled her eyes jokingly and hugged her sister.

The End.


End file.
